Hi, I have modified my Gaggia MDF to be stepless. I can achieve a good espresso grind for my Gaggia Classic by setting it at marker '4' for example (depending on the coffee etc). This will give me a ~25sec espresso. My problem is this: if I grind another dose of coffee immediately after the first dose, and change nothing (coffee, dose weight, tamp, grinder setting), the machine will choke on the second espresso! So it appears that the second grind is much finer than the first. How can this be? I need to adjust the grinder to about setting '5' to get a decent espresso.If I come back to the machine hours later, the original grinder setting '4' will be correct again. Help!

I suspect stale coffee is left in the grind path. Another thing, if you adjust the grinder, it takes at least one full dose of coffee to flush the old grounds out and to see what the new setting is, there is a lag.

If you are grinding fresh and it chokes your machine and then you wait to let it stale then it pulls OK, without any movement of the adjustment, I suspect grind retention in the grind path. Many people use a brush to clean the path from the grind chamber after each time they grind for a shot.

Remember, small changes can make a big difference so a big change like a whole number, can make a huge difference. YMMV!

In real life, my name isWayne P.Anything I post is personal opinion and is only worth as much as anyone else's personal opinion. YMMV!

Thanks for the help - grind retention was in fact the problem. Since I use the machine 50% of the time for filter, the retained grounds were affecting my espresso grinding. I never noticed, and it now explains why I could never use my bottomless portafilter without spraying everywhere.

Symbols: = New Posts since your last visit = No New Posts since last visit = Newest post

Forum Rules:No profanity, illegal acts or personal attacks will be tolerated in these discussion boards.No commercial posting of any nature will be tolerated; only private sales by private individuals, in the "Buy and Sell" forum.No SEO style postings will be tolerated. SEO related posts will result in immediate ban from CoffeeGeek.No cross posting allowed - do not post your topic to more than one forum, nor repost a topic to the same forum.Who Can Read The Forum? Anyone can read posts in these discussion boards.Who Can Post New Topics? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post new topics.Who Can Post Replies? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post replies.Can Photos be posted? Anyone can post photos in their new topics or replies.Who can change or delete posts? Any CoffeeGeek member can edit their own posts. Only moderators can delete posts.Probationary Period: If you are a new signup for CoffeeGeek, you cannot promote, endorse, criticise or otherwise post an unsolicited endorsement for any company, product or service in your first five postings.